Dear Friends,
It has been an exciting year at the Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics (CINSAM)! I am proud to share with you our
accomplishments from the 2012-2013 fiscal year as we further expanded our efforts to improve P-16 science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) education by advancing and integrating teaching, learning, and scholarship in the STEM disciplines in Kentucky.
First, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to say goodbye to Ms. Betty Stephens, CINSAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Outreach Coordinator. Betty has been with CINSAM since 2001! She came
to NKU to develop the outreach programs at CINSAM, drawing on her 30 years of relationships with northern Kentucky schools. She has
had tremendous success in establishing relationships with our P-12 partners and we will miss her greatly.
During 2012-2013, we continued implementation of our strategic plan and successfully found a new Director, Dr. John Farrar, whom you
can read about in this report. We are excited to highlight other achievements of CINSAM, including our summer camps, Alliances, and the
Next Generation STEM Classroom project (formerly the South Counties Project). You will also read about the people who make CINSAM
a success, from NKU students and faculty to local teachers and our outstanding CINSAM staff.
Finally, CINSAM would like to thank its corporate supporters: Toyota USA Foundation, Ashland Inc. Foundation, and the Procter & Gamble
Company. These partnerships enable us to extend our programs into the greater Cincinnati and rural Kentucky areas engaging more and
more students and teachers across the region.
Sincerely,

or over 12 years, CINSAM has been a defining program of NKU. As deans, we are thrilled to share with you the
latest successes that CINSAM has achieved through its work with the faculty and staff of the colleges of Arts &
Sciences, Education & Human Services and Informatics. The mission and goals of CINSAM are woven throughout
our collegesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; goals and core values, and CINSAM provides a fulcrum to support and integrate our activities.
CINSAM brings together the chairs of our departments in regular meetings to explore new ways in which administrators
and faculty members can work together to be more effective in achieving the CINSAM mission. CINSAM is also
spearheading a National Science Foundation grant proposal that engages all three colleges, by promoting the use of
evidence-based teaching and learning in our classes in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
disciplines.
We enthusiastically support the efforts of CINSAM to integrate our disciplines and partner with our faculty to foster
innovation and creativity. By awarding competitive research grants, CINSAM stimulates cross-disciplinary interaction
and creates key experiential learning opportunities for our undergraduates. CINSAM also provides outreach
opportunities for our faculty to the local schools, opportunities our faculty members embrace!
Above all, CINSAM provides an extra layer of cohesiveness to our colleges that we do not see at many other universities,
uniting us in the common mission to improve P-16 teaching, learning, and scholarship across the STEM disciplines.

r. Farrar will become Director of CINSAM, effective
July 1, 21013. He comes to us from Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College in Tifton, GA, where he has taught
chemistry since 2005 and where he has served as Head of
the Science Department since 2009. Before going to ABAC,
John taught for three years at Indiana University in Purdue
and before that for three years at the University of Saint
Francis in Fort Wayne, IN. John completed a B.S. in chemistry
at Western Kentucky University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in
organic chemistry at Vanderbilt University.
As head of ABAC’s science department, John supervises
thirteen full-time faculty, twelve part-time faculty, and one
staff member. He has been active at all levels of leadership
from program building to facility planning to grantsmanship.
Within the past couple years, he has helped to grow
biology majors to approximately 150 and consequently
promoted development of a new B.S. degree in biology. To
accommodate growing numbers of students, he succeeded
in securing additional lines and now is in beginning stages of
planning for a new laboratory science building.
To assist students in their education, John serves as co-PI
and completed much of the writing for an NSF $600,000
scholarship grant, and now he sits on the three-member
steering committee to oversee daily implementation of the
grant. In his letter of application for the CINSAM directorship,
John emphasizes the importance of academic freedom and
collegial governance in his administrative style. He values
academic rigor and professionalism, and he describes
faculty and staff as “. . . the greatest intellectual resource of
the institution.”

7

Although capable and willing to make tough or unpopular
decisions, John prefers consensus building and collegial
collaboration in moving academic and administrative
agendas. This is certainly borne out by John’s professional
references who describe his management style in glowing
ways. One person states that John is “a marvelous leader
and motivator, always looking at new technologies and new
ideas.” Another remarks how John “has a heart for STEM”
and is “an intelligent organizer and problem-solver.” And still
another remarks upon John’s honesty and how he “believes
in standards and fairness for everyone.”
John’s leadership extends beyond department boundaries.
At ABAC and previous universities, he chaired the collegewide promotion and tenure committee and the college-wide
assessment committee, and currently he serves as chair of the
University System of Georgia’s Regent’s Advisory Committee
on chemistry. This committee is populated by chemistry
faculty from each of Georgia’s 35 universities and addresses
business related to degree and course proposals, faculty
load, online education, and more. Further, he has been one
of three liaisons between Georgia’s State University System
and the Technical College System to determine transfer of
chemistry courses. He also helped to plan a regional STEM
teaching institute in Tifton and led the focus group on
chemistry.
John remains active in scholarship and teaching. He has been
co-PI and/or co-writer on five NSF or other successful grants
and has published and presented widely. He professes “.
. . an ongoing interest in the integration of technology in
appropriate ways in the classroom” and has implemented into
his teaching the clicker personal response system, electronic
homework systems, podcasts and then videos of lectures,
and most recently he has experimented with massively
open online courses (MOOCs). Faculty and students have
nominated John for the college-wide excellence in teaching
and advising awards.

C IN S A M
R E P OR T

RETIREMENT

A N N U A L

betty stephens’

T

his June, we say good-bye to one of CINSAM’s first team
members. Betty Stephens came to CINSAM in 2001 after
having taught math and physics at Newport High School.
As CINSAM’s Outreach Coordinator, she built strong ties between
NKU and northern Kentucky’s school districts. She brought more
than 3 decades of experience teaching in northern Kentucky to bear
on the programs she helped established and develop at CINSAM,
including our summer camps, CINSAM Alliances, CINSAM Night, and
Elementary Science Days, among many others. As a result of these
programs, CINSAM continues to enjoy strong relationships with
schools, non-profits, and families in our region and Betty Stephens
can take much of the credit.
On a more personal note, Betty has been a friend, a mentor, and
source of institutional knowledge for the rest of us here at CINSAM.
She could always be counted on for a story about how CINSAM
got through a tough situation or a history of education in northern
Kentucky. Her knowledge of our region’s systems and people has
provided newer CINSAM employees with quick access to a wealth of
resources. As we lose Betty, we also lose this precious asset, and we
will very much miss her for it.
Even as we say good-bye, we hope to see her return to NKU soon
to say hi, visit students, and even perhaps teach another section of
Pre-calculus. Whatever lies in store for you, Betty, we wish you best
on your adventure!

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CINSAM

Staff
Kristi
Haik, PHD
INTERIM DIRECTOR
Interim Director Dr. Kristi Haik led CINSAM through the 2012-2013 year. In addition to directing
all of CINSAM’s efforts, she assisted in coordinating Project SOAR for under-represented and
academically talented undergraduate students. Dr. Haik was hired as the chair for the department
of Biological Sciences on July 1, 2013. She earned her Ph.D. in applied experimental psychology
from Central Michigan University.

MADHURA
KULKARNI, PHD
INTERIM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Dr. Kulkarni has led the development of several CINSAM programs and worked with many
of our regional and national partners. She also teaches an integrated science course for
NKU and is part of several university-wide and broader initiatives, including the Ecological
Stewardship Institute, the Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative and the STEM Equity Pipeline
Project. Dr. Kulkarni earned her Ph.D. in biogeochemistry from Cornell University.

BETTY STEPHENS

OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Betty Stephens has coordinated a variety of CINSAM programs and events, including the
CINSAM Alliances, summer camps, and science days. Additionally, Ms. Stephens has taught
as a faculty member in the mathematics department. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky
University with a master’s degree in education. CINSAM has benefited from Ms. Stephens’
talents since 2001 and will miss her contributions to our efforts as she retires this year.

REEDA
HART, ’76
OUTREACH SPECIALIST
Reeda Hart is a nationally recognized master teacher who designed and piloted the Next
Generation STEM Classroom and all of CINSAM’s embedded outreach. She teaches STEM
lessons in district partners’ classrooms, modeling best practices for teachers from preschool through eighth grade in northern Kentucky. She also offers professional development
workshops and academies throughout the year. Reeda Hart earned her master’s degree in
education from Xavier University.

THOMAS
BRACKMAN
STEM RECRUITING DIRECTOR
Thomas Brackman leads CINSAM’s efforts in recruiting high school students into the STEM
disciplines. With his extensive background in geology, Mr. Brackman also leads the Earth
and Space Alliance for CINSAM and offers professional development sessions in science
and engineering. He is the director of the Laboratory for Applied Geophysics. Mr. Brackman
earned his master’s degree in geophysics from the University of Memphis.

9

C IN S A M
A N N U A L

debbie
bowles, ’84
OUTREACH SPECIALIST

R E P OR T

Ms. Debbie Bowles has been contracted by CINSAM as an Outreach Specialist since 2011.
Ms. Bowles models best practices in teaching in the southern counties of northern Kentucky.
She brings to CINSAM over 28 years of experience teaching science at the elementary and
middle school levels and has been awarded Teacher of the Year by both her school and
district, Pendleton County Schools. Ms. Bowles earned her Master of Arts in Education
from NKU.

BILLY RUSSELL, ’12

NETWORK LABORATORY MANAGER

Billy Russell provides personalized technical support and training to CINSAM and the academic
departments housed in the Natural Science Center. He manages and maintains the computers in
classrooms, offices, research labs, and the planetarium. Mr. Russell was introduced to NKU at one
of CINSAM’s first summer camps for high school students in 2002. He graduated from NKU with
a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Technology.

BETH
RUSSELL, ’12
PROGRAM MANAGER
Beth Russell coordinates events for CINSAM and assists in developing programs. She is the
Executive Director of the Science and Engineering Fair of Northern Kentucky. She specializes
in new media, including web design, graphic design, photography, and social media. This
year, she also administrated the department. Ms. Russell holds a bachelor’s degree in Media
Informatics from NKU.

JUSTIN
FELDMANN
CLERICAL ASSISTANT
Justin Feldmann worked as a clerical assistant to CINSAM during the summers of 2012 and
2013. He assisted with events, recruited college students into STEM programs, and provided
other support to staff. During his undergraduate experience at NKU, he worked as a researcher
in Dr. Haik’s laboratory. He is currently in medical school at the University of Louisville.

Student Workers
REBECCA SCHNEIDER
Graphic Designer

ZACHARIAH CASEY
Clerical Assistant

EMILY ESHAM
Clerical Assistant

DANIEL WILCOX-NETEPCZUK
Network Lab Assistant

MAJOR
Visual Communications

MAJOR
Mathematics

MAJOR
Biology

MAJOR
Computer Science

“My favorite part of working at
CINSAM is being surrounded
by intelligent people who are
passionate about what they do,
and how every day I seem to learn
new science trivia!”

“I love NKU because it is not
too big and not too small, but
just big enough for you to
make friendships throughout
your college experience.”

“I enjoy being part of such a
great group of people who
are very passionate about
their work as well. I love the
interesting projects I have
been involved in as a part of
CINSAM.”

“What I love about NKU is the
quality of the professors and
the amazing Informatics college
we are lucky to have.”

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R E P OR T
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C IN S A M

Reaching throughout the

world

During this year, CINSAM staff members have participated in
initiatives all across the region, state, and nation. Here are a
few of the groups that CINSAM is proud to be involved with.
Project Learning Tree (PLT) – PLT is a national leader in
environmental education offering programs to educators
and leaders working with P-12 students. Reeda Hart is
a member of their national Next Generation Curriculum
Advisory committee. As a member of this committee, she is
helping to write a K-8th grade curriculum guide for PLT.
Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative (KGSC) – The Kentucky
Girls STEM Collaborative grew out of the National Girls
Collaborative Project and now brings together leaders from
a variety of sectors and regions to engage girls in STEM
disciplines and ready them for STEM careers. Madhura
Kulkarni is leading the Northern Kentucky Regional Team of
the KGSC in an endeavor to understand the current status
of girls in STEM and figure out ways to “move the needle”
in our region.
STEM Equity Pipeline Project – The Kentucky STEM Equity
Pipeline Project is a collaboration between the National
Alliance for Partners in Equity (NAPE) and the Kentucky
Department of Education, and it is funded by the National
Science Foundation. It aims to promote gender equity in
STEM education and careers. Madhura Kulkarni is a member
of the Kentucky Leadership Team and focuses on the
professional development offered as part of the project.
GEAR UP Kentucky (GUK) – GEAR UP Kentucky is a
statewide initiative to help low-income students prepare
for and succeed in post-secondary education. It is housed
at Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education. GUK
partnered with CINSAM in March 2013 to bring 200 students
from across our region to NKU for a day that introduced
them to a college campus and engaged them with hands-on
STEM learning activities. Betty Stephens led the planning of
this STEM day and the rest of the CINSAM team provided
support.

Reeda Hart and Thomas Brackman presented
workshops on ways to connect math and science using
the earth sciences and incorporating engineering
into science lessons at state (Kentucky Science
Teachers’ Association Conference), regional (National
Science Teachers’ Association Area Conference) and
national conferences (National Science Teachers’
Association Area Conference). Their workshops
reached participants hailing from across Kentucky and
the nation, from Hawaii and Alaska to all the way to
Sweden!

11

Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative – The Greater
Cincinnati STEM Collaborative brings together educators
from around the tri-state area to advance productive
partnerships for improved P-12 STEM education in the
region. Madhura Kulkarni is NKU’s representative on this
collaborative.
FIRST Lego League (FLL) – Northern Kentucky’s First Lego
League held its regional competition at NKU in November
2012, hosting over a hundred elementary and middle school
students and their robotics projects. The winners moved on
to the national FLL competition in April. Betty Stephens was
a member of the NKY FLL team and provided a great deal of
operational support for the event.
STEMx Network – The Kentucky STEMx Network is a part
of the national STEMx network, started by Battelle to help
stakeholders share ideas about, engage students and
teachers in and promoted achievement in STEM. Kentucky
became a STEMx state in 2012 and CINSAM is a member
institution.

C IN S A M
A N N U A L

student

R E P OR T

SPOTLIGHTS
derek
RICE
gibbs

Alexus

Mr. Derek Gibbs, a SOAR scholar, graduated this year in May.
He participated in organic synthesis research with Dr. Keith
Walters (Department of Chemistry) for three years. This past
year, Derek served as the student representative on a search
committee to hire an analytical chemistry faculty member.
He also held a position as Secretary for the Student Affiliates
of the American Chemical Society (SAACS) at NKU; during his
involvement in SAACS he co-developed two new programs
with the NKU SAACS president. Derek has also been a tutor
in General Chemistry for SOAR scholars and an informal
tutor in physical, general and organic chemistry.
Mr. Gibbs’ research with Dr. Walters has allowed him to travel
to conferences, including the 243rd American Chemical
Society meeting in San Diego, California. There, he was able
to network with graduate students and generate ideas for
graduate research. He has since been accepted into both
University of Cincinnati and University of Louisville’s Medical
Schools.
“I feel that research has prepared me very well for the
professional world,” explained Gibbs. “Research also had
a profound affect on my academics. Whether it was new
synthetic reactions from organic or trying to understand
the way molecules absorb energy from physical chemistry,
I tried to apply what I learned to my research. This increased
what I remembered from lecture as it went from abstract to
concrete.”
“College is a time of growth, not just intellectually, but also
personally. I saw myself change a lot in the past four years,
primarily due to my STEM experiences.”

Ms. Alexus Rice is a junior biology major at NKU. She has
been involved in Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society since the
fall of 2011 and has volunteered at many events. Ms. Rice
has even been elected as the Vice President for the NKU
chapter and President for the Regional Chapter of Tri-Beta
for the 2013-2014 term. She has also been involved in BIOTA,
a biological teaching association where she held the position
of Secretary in the fall of 2012 and has participated in several
volunteer activities.
During Ms. Rice’s time at NKU, she participated in research
on many topics, including harmful algal blooms, with Dr.
Miriam Kannan. She has received several grants to fund her
research, including the UR-STEM summer research grant, and
the Regional Ecological Stewardship Initiative Scholar grant.
Through her research and involvement with STEM, she has
coordinated the Ohio River STEM Institute, assisted in the
development of the Water Quality App, and held position
as the assistant student coordinator for the Technology
to Empower Citizen Scientists Workshop. Ms. Rice has
presented her research at several conferences including,
the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress,
where she and another student (Stefania Guglielmi) received
1st place in the Student Poster Competition, and the
Kentucky Academy of Science, where she received 1st place
in her division. Her research with Dr. Kannan was published
in Proceedings of the World Environmental and Water
Resources Congress 2013: Showcasing the Future.
“I believe that without these opportunities, I would not be as
confident in my career choice or as prepared for the future,”
said Rice. “And this is what makes NKU students stand out
from the rest. Most undergraduates from other universities
rarely get the chance at opportunities like we do.”
“The experience I have had at NKU has changed my life.”

12

R E P OR T
A N N U A L
C IN S A M

facul ty

SPOTLIGHTS
DR. BRAD

SIEVE

Dr. Brad Sieve obtained his Ph.D. from Michigan State
University in 2002 and completed a postdoctoral position
at Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory. Brad has
been at Northern Kentucky University since 2005 and
teaches General Chemistry, Physiological Chemistry, Organic
Chemistry, Introduction to Chemistry, and Chemistry and
Society. Dr. Sieve also coordinates non-major chemistry
courses and teaches freshmen to senior level lectures and
labs.
For several years, Dr. Sieve helped Dr. Vern Hicks and his P-12
partners lead the Chemistry Alliance. Two years ago, upon
Dr. Hick’s retirement, he took over as university leader of
the Alliance and has shown great creativity, leadership, and
concern for teachers’ and students’ needs in his role with
this Alliance.
“I have learned that we have incredibly hard working and
caring teachers in our area which makes my job easier
and society better as a whole,” said Sieve. “If I can share a
demonstration or give them equipment for their classrooms
- that is the absolute least I can do to thank them.”

13

DR. JAESOOK

GILBERT
Dr. Jaesook Gilbert received her Ph.D. in Early Childhood
Education from the University of Illinois in 1996. She
has taught in the College of Education and Human
Services at Northern Kentucky University since 2007. Her
teaching interests include early childhood education and
programming, family involvement, community collaboration
and administration and supervision. Her research interests
are professional development for those who are involved
in early childhood education, family and community
partnerships, as well as quality early care and education.
In 2009, Dr. Gilbert created CINSAM’s Early Childhood
Alliance. In her role as an Alliance Leader, she has offered
many valuable workshops to early childhood educators in
our region, meeting a previously underappreciated need. As
our country and our region are increasingly recognizing the
long term benefits of a strong early childhood education,
Dr. Gilbert is helping our communities youngest children
embark on a path to success in school and life.
“I love the fact that the CINSAM funding for the Early
Childhood Alliance allows us to reach out to the child care
sector and the school systems, private and public schools,”
said Gilbert. “Our Early Childhood Alliance meetings are
very well attended and the attendees tell us how much they
appreciate the trainings.”

C IN S A M

katy

murray
Ms. Katy Murray is completing her 15th year teaching
5th grade. She completed her Master’s Degree in Gifted
Education and is pursuing a second Master’s degree in
Instructional Leadership, both at NKU! She is a certified
math consultant and is currently teaching at River Ridge
Elementary School in Kenton County. In addition to
teaching, she also serves as the Intermediate Gifted Lead
Teacher, EWISE Team sponsor, Online Math Team sponsor,
and the 4th-5th grade leadership teacher. Katy was recently
re-elected Elementary Representative on the Northern
Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NKCTM)
board. She is an annual presenter at the Kentucky Council
of Teachers of Mathematics (KCTM) conference and recieved
the Math Educator Service Award (MESA) in 2004.
Ms. Murray has been involved with the Elementary
Mathematics and Science Alliance since 2001. She enjoyed
the workshops so much that she agreed to become the
Teacher-Leader in 2002 and has continued in that capacity
since. Some of the events that she has helped coordinate
and present through the Alliance include: Core Content
4.1, Common Core Math Standards (both facilitated by the
Kentucky Department of Education), River Watch Cruise,
Differentiating for Gifted Math/Science students, Response
to Instruction (RTI) Strategies in Elementary Classroom, Haile
Planetarium Workshops, and Incorporating Problem Solving
in the Elementary Classroom.
“My best teaching is absolutely ‘borrowed’ from the best
of the best educators that took the time to share,” said
Murray. “We call it outreach, apprenticeship, professional
development. Keep learning and improving your craft.”

R E P OR T

SPOTLIGHTS

A N N U A L

teac her

david

myers

Mr. David Myers began his teaching career in 2007 while
enrolled in NKU’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program.
He has taught both 6th and 7th grade science at Pendleton
County’s Phillip A. Sharp Middle School.
Mr. Myers became involved with CINSAM while pursuing his
MAT degree. He attended CINSAM Night and was convinced
that the methods demonstrated would be a vital part of his
classroom effort.
After he began teaching at Phillip Sharp Middle School, he
started working with CINSAM’s Southern Outreach team
to bring inquiry-based science lessons to his students. Ms.
Reeda Hart and Ms. Debbie Bowles have been valuable
resources for Mr. Myers and his students. Availability of the
lesson kits allows him the flexibility to repeat the lesson in
subsequent years, while new lessons are demonstrated by
CINSAM Outreach Specialists during future visits.
In the fall of 2012, Mr. Myers accepted the role as TeacherLeader for CINSAM’s Earth and Space Alliance, and has since
collaborated with CINSAM’s Mr. Thomas Brackman to bring
trainings on earth and space science to area teachers.
“Involvement with CINSAM has improved my effectiveness
as a science teacher,” said Myers. “It has also increased my
desire to assist other teachers as they incorporate STEM
lessons into their classrooms. In addition, the relationships
I have developed working with CINSAM staff and the Earth/
Space Alliance are a valuable network for me to use when
creating new STEM lessons or when modifying existing
lessons to include STEM practices.”

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R E P OR T
A N N U A L
C IN S A M

BIOLOGY ALLIANCE

CHEMISTRY ALLIANCE

The Biology Alliance—led by Dr. Chris Curran of
NKU’s Department of Biological Sciences and Ms.
Heather Packard of Bellevue Schools—held four
workshops for teachers over the 2012-2013 school
year. The first was at CINSAM night in October, where
23 participants learned about resources available to
them through the Alliance, the potential to develop
a web portal, NKU student success data, activities
presented at NKU Evolution Day, and the upcoming
Ohio River Cruise Workshop.

Dr. Bradley Sieve of NKU’s Chemistry Department,
Ms. Linda Weber of Campbell County High School,
and Ms. Shelli Stinson of Simon Kenton High School
helmed the Chemistry Alliance this year. The Alliance
kicked off the year with a meeting at CINSAM Night,
where they discussed and planned workshops for the
rest of the school year.

On October 12, fifteen teachers (from the Biology,
and Earth and Space Alliances) cruised the Ohio
River on a riverboat with Ms. Heather Mayfield of
the Foundation for Ohio River Education (FORE) and
learned about water and macroinvertebrate sampling
for water quality testing, issues relating to combined
sanitary-stormwater sewers, and how to work with
FORE to enhance their classroom activities.
In March, the Alliance—along with the Departments
of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Psychological
Sciences—hosted the Dorothy Westerman Hermann
Autism Symposium. This event convened six speakers
from four institutions to discuss many aspects
of autism ranging from contributing factors to
treatments. The Kentucky Early Childhood Education
TRIS program certified this event for 4.5 professional
development (PD) clock hours, and 15 early childhood
educators benefitted from this PD opportunity. A
further 41 grade school teachers attended, along with
many others in the NKU community.
The Biology Alliance concluded their year with a
collaborative workshop in April in which 13 members
shared their favorite lab activities with each other.
Topics ranged from field ecology to biochemistry and
were linked with the new Common Core Standards
and inquiry-based education.

Collaborations between NKU faculty
and P-12 teachers to hold professional
development sessions in a variety
of STEM disciplines

R E P OR T

COMPUTER SCIENCE ALLIANCE
The Computer Science Alliance, led by Dr. Wei Hao
of NKU’s Department of Computer Science and Ms.
Kris Gordon from Ludlow Independent Schools held
a variety of workshops for teachers during the 20122013 year.
Their activities began on CINSAM Night, with 2
sessions in NKU’s newest facility, Griffin Hall. To
help teachers engage students through mobile
applications, they held a hands-on session on building
mobile apps. Two NKU students from the Center for
Applied Informatics’ mobile technology lab, Mr. Sean
Butts and Mr. Joshua Newkirk, assisted throughout
the session. At the end of the sessions, participants
successfully created a mobile app.
In November, the Computer Science Alliance held
a mobile technology workshop for teachers. They
taught 10 participants from Kentucky schools how to
set up and use Mobile Mouse on iPhone and Android
tablets. Mobile Mouse allows a mobile device to be
used as a wireless remote control for the computer. At
the session, Dr. James Walden from NKU introduced
the Computer Science Department’s newest program,
Data Science, to the teachers.

EARLY CHILDHOOD ALLIANCE
The Early Childhood Alliance was led by Drs. Jaesook
Gilbert and Sue Griebling of the Department of Teacher
Education along with Ms. Shelley Engram of the Leaders
of Tomorrow early childhood center and Ms. Rebecca
Wilson of Kenton County Schools.
On October 4, 2012, the Early Childhood Alliance
presented a workshop with Mr. Tony Lawson and Ms.
Karen Venetian of the Cincinnati Museum Center on the
Fundamentals of Inquiry: Process Skills. The workshop
helped participants develop an understanding of
science process skills needed to generate and test
new ideas, build new knowledge and learn scientific
concepts; 38 educators attended.
On April 18, 2013, Mr. Lawson and Ms. Venetian
followed up on the October workshop with one on the
Fundamentals of Inquiry: Subtle Shifts; 33 educators
attended. Inquiry-based instruction requires teachers
to understand how to give learners more responsibility
for their own learning and to develop the kids of
process skills used in science. The workshop trained
educators in developing a facility with inquiry-based
instruction for young children.

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A N N U A L
C IN S A M

EARTH & SPACE ALLIANCE

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ALLIANCE

Mr. Thomas Brackman from CINSAM and Mr. David
Myers from Phillip A. Sharp Middle School led the
Earth and Space Alliance this year for CINSAM. On
CINSAM Night, approximately 40 teachers were
engaged in a hands-on activity for investigating the
phases of the moon and a “pocket solar system” that
shows relative distances in the solar system. They also
viewed and discussed a NASA video that showed the
various obstacles the Mars lander had to overcome
for a successful landing.

The Environmental Science Alliance was led by Dr.
Steve Kerlin of the Department of Teacher Education
and Ms. Julie Whitis of the Kenton County Academies.
This Alliance started off the year with the Water
Quality App and Foundation for Ohio River Education
(FORE) Open House on January 11, 2013. They
introduced 12 educators to the app, lessons and FORE
field trip programs held at the Ohio River Valley Water
Sanitation Commission’s office.

On October 12, fifteen teachers (from the Biology,
and Earth and Space Alliances) cruised the Ohio
River on a riverboat with Ms. Heather Mayfield of
the Foundation for Ohio River Education (FORE) and
learned about water and macroinvertebrate sampling
for water quality testing, issues relating to combined
sanitary-stormwater sewers, and how to work with
FORE to enhance their classroom activities.
On February 5, 2013, the Earth and Space Alliance
co-sponsored an event that demonstrated a series
of stations on heat transfer. The stations explored
convection, conduction, and radiation, relating these
concepts to Earth science. This seminar included
make-and-take stations and participant giveaways. Materials available for make-and-take were:
thermometers, convection bottles, pipettes, food
coloring, and Pangaea models. Give-aways included
hotplates, heat lamps, and pans for demonstrating
convection. Sixteen teachers attended this event.

17

With additional support from a Senate Bill 1 P-2
Mini-grant from the College of Education and
Human Services, this Alliance co-hosted the Kenton
County Science Teachers Professional Development
Conference on May 29, 2013. There, they offered
workshops on green energy, vegetative roofs, rain
gardens, and the Kentucky Environmental Literacy
Plan. Environmental Science Alliance funding
sponsored the attendance of teachers from outside
of the Kenton County School District.
In June, about a dozen teachers attended the Flying
WILD Curriculum workshop sponsored by the
Environmental Education Alliance. The workshop
trained teachers in activities, projects, and knowledge
related to birds and their habitats.

C IN S A M
A N N U A L

CINSAM ALLIANCES

Collaborations between NKU faculty
and P-12 teachers to hold professional
development sessions in a variety
of STEM disciplines

R E P OR T

ELEMENTARY MATH AND SCIENCE ALLIANCE

MATHEMATICS ALLIANCE

The Elementary Mathematics and Science Alliance
was led by NKU’s Dr. Jonathan Thomas (Department
of Teacher Education and Kentucky Center for
Mathematics) and River Ridge Elementary School’s
Ms. Katy Murray. On CINSAM Night, the Elementary
School STEM Alliance offered a session titled, “What is
the Whole in Cornhole? Introducing and Capitalizing
upon Disequilibrium with Fraction Operations.” They
presented research involving division of fractional
quantities. Participants discovered and examined
powerful settings and contexts to promote conceptual
understanding in this historically challenging area of
mathematics as well as lessons learned in the design
of meaningful instruction. About 25 people attended.

Dr. Michael Waters and Dr. Bethany Noblitt of NKU’s
Mathematics and Statistics department teamed up
with Ms. Nadia Osterbrock of Dixie Heights High
School for the 2012-2013 school year to lead the
Math Alliance for CINSAM. The year’s events began
at CINSAM Night, when 40 teachers attended a
variety of sessions. This Alliance presented five
workshops by Alliance leaders. Among them were
two mathematics sessions on graphing calculator use
and the characteristics of a good problem, and two
sessions on statistics.

This Alliance held two more sessions on March 27,
2013, one at NKU and the other in Dayton, KY, at
Queen City Riverboats. The session at NKU was titled
“Supporting Student Enactment of the Standards
for Mathematical Practice While Building Strong
Foundations for Multiplicative Thinking.” Participants
reflected on progressions for the teaching and
learning of multiplication and division and acquired
tools for assessing and advancing student fluency
through engagement in Mathematical Content and
the Standards for Mathematical Practice.

In November, the Math Alliance held a session at
Dixie Heights High School in Kenton County on the
standards for mathematical practice. Pre-service
teachers joined the Math Alliance in presenting this
workshop. Eighteen teachers attended.
In March, the Math Alliance held a session titled “iPad
Apps in the K-12 Mathematics Classroom” at Dixie
Heights High School. This high-demand workshop
taught a variety of mathematics applications for
i-devices to 28 teachers. During this session, they
held a raffle for an iPad, which was awarded to one of
the teachers in attendance.

The second session on March 27, in Dayton, The
Alliance held a second session titled “The River Reach
Program.” Participants learned how their students
could conduct water quality testing using the same
methods as research scientists, discovering key
organisms, or “indicator species,” used to determine
the health of the Ohio River. They also learned how
storm water runoff and combined sewer overflows
impact water quality, and found out how to schedule
their classes for the River Reach Program.

18

R E P OR T
A N N U A L
C IN S A M

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE ALLIANCE
The Middle School Mathematics and Science Alliance
was led by Dr. Seyed Allameh of NKU and Ms. Lila
Brindley of Bracken County Schools. They presented
a workshop at CINSAM Night on October 2, 2012
demonstrating a laboratory activity on energy transfer.
Members were able to use different insulating
materials to determine the energy lost over time to the
environment. This activity allows students to undertake
a design project to control the transfer of energy to the
environment. There were 20 members in attendance
that evening and all went home with the supplies
needed to conduct the activity, as well as copies of all
instructional materials.
On January 15, 2013 this Alliance presented a Robotics
Workshop. Participants learned how to build a Lego
Robot that can sense its environment. This was also a
STEM Lab that can also be used for Robotics Clubs that
compete in tournaments. There were 10 members in
attendance that evening and one lucky teacher went
home with a new Lego Robotics Kit.
On February 5, 2013 the Middle School Mathematics
and Science Alliance partnered with the Earth/Space
Alliance to conduct a workshop on best practices in
thermal energy transfer instruction. Teachers rotated
among 8 stations allowing them to experience
(authentically or through models), the following forms
of thermal energy transfer: oceans currents through
convection; radiation and temperature; conduction
using conductors and insulators; cold and hot water
convection; and convection in the earth’s surface.
Fifteen Alliance members attended the workshop.
All went home with Pangaea kits, hard copies of the
lab, pipettes, food coloring, convection kits and some
teachers won hot plates and heat lamps.

19

PHYSICS ALLIANCE
Dr. John Filaseta of NKU’s Physics Department and
Mr. David Ledden, formerly of St. Henry District High
School, Boone County High School, and Beechwood
High School, led the Physics Alliance in the 2012-2013
school year. They began the year with two sessions
at CINSAM Night for about 24 middle school and
high school teachers. The sessions were on Data
Collection, Graphing and the Scientific Method.
Later in October, this Alliance held an evening
workshop on scientific methods, data analysis, and
graphing that aimed to help teachers avoid “cookbook” approaches to classroom experiments and
promote student-led investigations. Six high school
teachers attended.
Next, in February, Dr. Filaseta and Mr. Ledden led a
session for 12 middle school and high school teachers
on circuitry basics and using batteries to turn on
light bulbs. They also discussed STEM education in
Kentucky and recent changes in Advanced Placement
Physics.
Finally, in April, the Alliance offered a workshop on
Waves and Sound for eight middle grades teachers.
Participants left with kits for taking the techniques
they had learned to their classrooms.

sharing
ideas with
colleagues

R E P OR T

impr oved
studen t
in ter es t an d
en gagemen t

A N N U A L

I have seen myself
improve through time and
professional development
activities.

:
d
on
p
es
R
able
chers

C IN S A M

CINSAM ALLIANCES

Collaborations between NKU faculty
and P-12 teachers to hold professional
development sessions in a variety
of STEM disciplines

Tea

lu
a
v
t
s
o
m
be the e?
o
t
d
n
i
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ianc
What do f thE CINSAM All
aspect o
I know that
I will gain
hands-on le arnin g an d
somet hin g that
higher level thinkin g
I will use to
en hance my
teachin g!

T he â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; P D activities are
directly relatable to our content
and are easy to implement in the
classroom right away.

an d
Pedagogical edg e
scien t ific k nowlg
trainin

I have used al mos t all of the ideas
have le arned thr ough the Allianthat I
ce in
my own classes.

20

R E P OR T

RESEARCH

C IN S A M

A N N U A L

CINSAM-funded

Dr. kebede gemene

DEPARTMENT OF chemistry

{

Simple, Rapid, and Sensitive Assay of
Protease Activities and Inhibitors

}

Proteases are found in all organisms. They are enzymes that drive biological
reactions from digestion of food proteins to more complex processes like blood
clotting. Proteases function by cleaving bonds of natural proteins. They are also
of high biomedical interest as they are associated with a number of diseases,
and inhibitors of specific proteases are widely employed as therapies for many
diseases. The detection of these enzymes is critically important, but existing
assays are either expensive and complicated or inconvenient. Dr. Kebede
Gemene and his students Melissa Oehrle and Mark Vater developed a simple,
rapid and inexpensive detection method for these enzymes. This method uses
a polyion-selective electrode under a novel measurement technology called
pulsed chronopotentiometry. Dr. Gemene used this technology to detect
contamination of heparin preparations, commonly used for their blood thinning
properties.

Dr. wei hao

DEPARTMENT OF computer science

{

Cloud-based Power
Management for Mobile Phones

}

Dr. Wei Hao (Computer Science Department) and his students, Thomas Delaney
and Sean Butts, have been looking into the effects that mobile phones have on
our lives. As smartphones become a more essential part of our lives, the need for
smartphones to be able to process and execute applications similar to those of a
computer is growing. Because of these needs, power management has become a
critical factor in managing the increasing power demands of mobile applications
or “apps”. For their research, Hao, Delaney and Butts conducted several case
studies of mobile app use on power utilization and used their results and cloud
computing technology to create a new power management system, Cloudbased Power Management (CPM), for mobile phones. CPM will complement
existing power management systems to help mobile phones save more energy.
This system also reduces the amount of power drawn from a Wi-Fi connection,
enabling the Wi-Fi connection to be more efficient. As the need for increased
resource efficiencies grows, this research can help an increasingly ubiquitous
technology—mobile computing—operate more efficiently.

21

C IN S A M
A N N U A L

Dr. Holden, of the Mathematics and Statistics Department, worked with
her students, Kirk Wallace and Lindsay Grayson, on a project exploring the
mathematical properties of outer space. The interstellar medium contains
a magnetic field whose strong turbulent component plays a crucial role in
how high-energy cosmic-rays traverse our galaxy and influence the formation
of stars and planets. Due to the turbulent nature of the magnetic field, two
particles injected into a field with the same initial velocities but slightly
different initial positions will subsequently follow very different paths. This
effect is quantified using Lyapunov exponents. Wallace, Grayson and Holden
calculated Lyapunov exponents for various models constructed from sums
of Alfvénic waves and found that the turbulent magnetic field is adequately
described by a model with 25 waveforms per decade of dynamic range in
wavelengths. This finding allows researchers to describe the chaotic nature
of the magnetic field while minimizing computational expense. The models
can now be used to study star formation, cosmic ray propagation, and other
astrophysical phenomena.

Abstract:
The absolute photolysis rates of estrone and estrone 3-methyl ether were
determined through the use of an iodide-iodate actinometer. The rate of photons
absorbed by the iodide-iodate solution when exposed to three different light
sources (photoreactor, handlamp, and fluorimeter) was measured with UV-Vis
spectroscopy. Using this photon rate, the photolysis rates of estrone in a variety
of solvents was followed with gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry and was
found to differ based on solvent. Estrone and estrone 3-methyl ether were also
shown to photodegrade at different rates when irradiated in the same solvent

'Iodide-Iodate absorption'
'triodide absorption'

1.3

2

1

0
200

1.2

250

300

350

400

1.1
1.0
0.9

450

Wavelength (nm)

Introduction:

0.8

8KI + KIO3 + 3H2O + hv  3I3- + 6OH- +9K+

Estrogens, both natural and synthetic, have recently become topics of interest
due to their being found in increased amounts in the environment and their
apparent effects on both fish in aquatic habitats and livestock {1,2}.
Estrogens contain aromatic rings, therefore, they absorb ultraviolet light and can
undergo photochemistry. The rate at which estrogens undergo photochemistry
can be determined by measuring the amount of light absorbed by a sample and
the amount of products formed. Actinometry is a process in which the amount of
light that is absorbed from a light source can be quantified.
Rahn, et al. has demonstrated that an iodide-iodate solution can be used as an
effective chemical actinometer for light sources in the ultraviolet range because
the iodide-iodate solution absorbs light of wavelengths shorter than 300nm and
produces a triiodide ion that only absorbs light above 300nm.{3,4}
The iodide-iodate actinometer system was a 254nm photoreactor, hand lamp,
and in 254 nm setting on the flourimeter to determine a photolysis rate in these
conditions. The established rate could then be applied to the rates of
photodegradation found in the gas chromatography mass spectrum to reason
the different speeds that estrogens photodegrade under circumstances such as
different solvents and light sources.

trial 1
trial 2
trial 3

1.4

3

Absorbance

Absorbance

4

0.7
200

Actinometry Methods and Results:

Triiodide can also be formed thermally;{3,4} therefore UV-Vis kinetic scans were
performed on actinometry solutions that were not exposed to UV light to
determine the thermal formation rate. The thermal formation rate was found to
be 6.445 x 10-11mol/min. This rate was used to subtract the change in
absorbance due to thermal conversion from the measured change of
absorbance in the samples exposed to UV light.

300

All light sources gave similar results but the photoreactor was used for final
results since it is the light source used to irradiate the estrogen samples.

The absolute photolysis rate of estrone was monitored through use of GC-MS,
determined by a ratio of photolysis product to estrone, was found to vary with
different solvents.

acetonitrile1
acetonitrile2
methanol1
ethyl acetate1
ethyl acetate2

P1/E1 Ratio

2.0

1.5

Estrone in
acetonitrile

200

0.0
100

0

14.8

15.0

Retention Time (min)

15.2

15.4

800

900

The iodate-iodide solutions absorb at a rate of 1.72 x 10-9 ± 2.44 x 10-10
Einsteins/sec when exposed in the photoreactor.

1.0

0.5

14.6

700

The rate of changing absorbance was converted to the rate of einsteins
absorbed by the solution through use of the Beer-Lambert law and the literature
value for the triiodide quantum yield {3}.

3

300x10

14.4

600

Estrone and estrone 3-methyl ether were found to have different photolysis
rates when irradiated in the same solvent. This rate difference can again be
credited to hydrogen bonding. Replacing the alcohol group with an ether group
will reduce the amount of hydrogen bonding that occurs in the solution, resulting
in one fewer deactivation paths for the absorbed energy and an increase in the
quantum yield.

Solvent

2.5

14.2

500

Exposure Time (s)

Actinometry solutions were exposed to 254nm light from a photoreactor, a hand
lamp, and a fluorimeter and the solutions absorbance at 352nm was monitored
as a function of time.

Application of Actinometry Results:

14.0

400

50mL samples of 0.6M iodide and 0.1M iodate exposed to 254nm in a photoreactor ;
the absorbance was monitored at 352nm at 2min exposure increments.

Actinometry solutions were prepared with concentrations of 0.1M iodate and
0.6M iodide.

5

10

15

20

Einsteins

25

30x10

-6

15.6

chromatograms of estrone’s photolysis in ethyl acetate; the signal at 15min represents estrone and the signal
at 14.4min represents the photolysis product of estrone (P1)

Estrone
Estrone 3-methyl ether

2.0

The photolysis rate was found to be fastest in acetonitile and slowest in ethyl
acetate. The rate difference based on solvent is believed to be a result of
hydrogen bonding between solvent and estrone, which is weakest in acetonitrile
and strongest in ethyl acetate; it is possible that a stronger solvent interaction
creates another outlet for the absorbed energy that reduces the quantum yield.

1.5

Estrone in ethyl
acetate

Estrone in
methanol

Estrone 3-methyl
ether in methanol

Rate constant (Einsteins-1 s-1)

-1.40 x 105

-8.28 x 104

-1.06 x 105

-9.07 x 104

%RSD

7.46

3.19

10.9

12.9

Conclusions:

An iodide-iodate solution was used as a chemical actinometer to determine the
absolute photolysis rates of estrone and estrone 3-methyl ether. Three 254nm
light sources were used to irradiate the solutions and the change in absorbance
was measured using a UV-Vis spectrometer. The rate of changing absorbance
was converted to the rate of Einsteins absorbed by the solution, then applied to
the photolysis rates of estrone and estrone 3-methyl ether.

Acknowledgements:

1.0

Department of chemistry for general support, KBRIN and NKU CINSAM for
financial support, Dr. Grant Edwards for help with instrumentation

The motion of charged particles through turbulent magnetic fields is
chaotic in nature. The resulting effects can be quantified through the
calculation of Lyapunov exponents. Using a computer model we
calculated the Lyapunov exponents for several magnetic fields in order
to help other researchers choose a model for use in further studies of
astronomical phenomena.

Results

Eqn. 2

Since each model consists of N randomly directed Alfven waves, we find a distribution
of largest Lyapunov exponents for each value of N. Below we show our results (with
200 observations) for N = 5 and N = 25. We find that the mean largest Lyapunov
exponent increases with N, indicating that the length scale over which information
from the initial condition is lost is shrinking. For N greater than 100, the mean largest
Lyapunov exponent plateaus indicating that 100 waves adequately describes the
chaotic nature of the field while minimizing computational expense

Eqn. 3

50

Equations

Background

The space beyond our solar system, referred to as the interstellar
medium, is a fluid-like structure comprised of gas and
dust. Magnetic field lines are tied to the matter in the medium,
commonly referred to as “frozen in.” As the interstellar medium
moves, the magnetic field lines
are dragged with it, altering
the magnetic field.
Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD),
the study of fluids threaded by
magnetic fields , can be used to
model the interstellar medium.
MHD provides wave solutions
that can be summed to provide
an approximate model of the magnetic field in the interstellar
medium. We explored magnetic fields produced by summing 5, 25,
50, 100, 150, and 200 random waves.

Cosmic rays are charged particles (mostly protons) that move
throughout our galaxy. Though some of their origins remain
undetermined, it is known that cosmic rays serve an important role
in the formation of molecules in the interstellar medium and in the
formation of stars and planets in molecular clouds. As charged
particles, the rays are accelerated when traveling through a
magnetic field. The turbulent nature of the field causes the
propagation of the cosmic rays to be chaotic. Should two particles
with identical properties be injected into the field, save slightly
different starting positions, they will subsequently follow divergent
paths. The chaotic environment can be quantified through the
calculation of Lyapunov exponents.

N

5

40

The equations of magnetohydrodynamics governing a compressible, nonviscous,
perfectly conducting fluid, such as the interstellar medium, are displayed above.
They describe the interdependence between magnetism and fluid motion. Eqn. 1
ensures conservation of mass for the system. Eqn. 2 describes the forces acting
on the fluid. Eqn. 3 is an alternate form of one of Maxwell’s equations that relates
the change of the magnetic field to the velocity of the fluid.

Mean Largest Lyapunov Exponents

30

NΛ

}

N

14.007
19
39.102
92

20

10

0

Linearizing about a steady state solution and looking for plane wave
perturbations produces three types of wave solutions: sound waves,
magnetoacoustic waves, and Alfvén waves.

Estrogen and compounds that mimic estrogen have recently garnered
attention because of their increasing contamination of the environment and
their apparent effects on fish and amphibians in aquatic ecosystems. The rate
at which these compounds degrade when exposed to ultraviolet light, called
photolysis, is an important research question explored by undergraduate
students Krista Loose and Daniel Ghere working in Dr. Patrick Hare’s lab in
the Chemistry Department. The students measured the photolysis rates of
estrone and estrone 3-methyl ether, two estrogen derivatives, in different
solvents and with different light sources. Using actinometry to measure the
amount of light absorbed by the compounds and gas chromatography-mass
spectrometry to monitor the relative amounts of the compounds, Loose
and Ghere found that the photolysis rate depends on the structures of the
compound and the solvent. The research suggests that stronger interactions
between the solvent and the compound, such as through hydrogen bonding,
reduce the photolysis rate by providing alternate pathways to disperse the
absorbed energy from the light.

Dr. patrick hare

Ion Count

}

Using chemical modification to investigate
the photochemistry of natural estrogens

R E P OR T

{

20
15
10

Alfvén waves

5

Of the three types of waves, only the Alfvén waves
are expected to propagate through the interstellar
medium. Therefore, standard models for the turbulent
magnetic field consist of sums of randomly directed
Alfvén waves. These noncompressible, transverse-like
waves have fluid motion that is perpendicular to the
underlying magnetic field.

N=5

Magnetic Field Model

Magnetic fields comprised of N = 5, 25, 50, 100, 150, and 200
Alfvén waves were investigated to determine how many waves
were needed to adequately describe the chaotic nature of the field
while keeping computational costs low. The divergence of two
field lines originating from slightly different points can be seen in
in the shown graphs

Lyapunov Exponents

Lyapunov exponents (λi) measure sensitivity to initial conditions,
a primary characteristic of a chaotic system. A positive exponent
indicates an exponentially
expanding direction in phase space
and tells us that the system is
chaotic. For each of our magnetic
field models, we found one
negative, one positive, and one
zero exponent.

0

20

30

40

50

60

Λ1
Largest Lyapunov
Exponent

Conclusion
N=100

Our work indicates that the chaotic nature of the turbulent magnetic field is adequately
described with N = 100 terms in the model. This model can now be used to study star
formation, cosmic ray propagation, and other astrophysical phenomena.

Dr. Kristy Hopfensperger and her student, James Brown, investigated the
link between the spread of Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and
changes in ecosystem process. This invasive plant has been replacing
native plants in our region and—as Hopfensperger and Brown found—has
been changing the way local vernal pool ecosystems function. They found
that areas with higher densities of Amur honeysuckle have higher rates of
both aqueous and gaseous nitrogen loss (as nitrate and the greenhouse
gas, nitrous oxide, respectively.) These losses result in increased water and
air pollution. In addition to measuring nitrous oxide emissions from their
study site, Hopfensperger and Brown also characterized fluxes of two other
greenhouse gases from soils: carbon dioxide and methane. They found
an increase in carbon dioxide emission with decreasing soil moisture,
along with emissions of methane during the wet month of May followed
by absorption of methane in the drier month of June. They also observed
higher soil pH under the high-density honeysuckle. Hopfensperger and
Brown planned to continue research into these findings and others at the
site.

Knowledge elicitation study on collaborative
dialogues used to handle uncertainties

}

Contestants in the Super Bowl Squares Game purchase squares on a blank 10
by 10 grid at a fixed price. After all of the squares are purchased, the digits
0-9 are randomly assigned to the 10 rows and 10 columns and represent the
“ones” digit for the respective football team’s score. But what would happen
if the digits were assigned before players chose a square? In football, scores
of 3 and 7 points are much more likely than others, resulting in certain digit
combinations that are more or less likely to occur and, therefore, more likely
to win. Using statistics and probabilistic modeling, including the Markov
Process, Ari Fitter—along with his advisors, Dr. Joseph Nolan and Dr. David
Agard of the Mathematics and Statistics Department—investigated how
much each square should cost to make the game fair if the digit combinations
were known in advance. They found that, assuming a $100 pool, scores
ending in 0 or 7 were the most expensive, while six squares cost only $0.10
each!

"Xanthine oxidase is an enzyme that aids in the process of
converting hypoxanthine into xanthine and xanthine into uric
acid. The buildup of too much uric acid in the body can cause
joint and muscle inflammation and lead to a disease commonly
known as gout. The goal of our research is to find inhibitors that
latches onto the binding site of the protein xanthine oxidase and
limits the amount of uric acid produced by this enzyme. Our
research focuses on the reaction: the conversion of xanthine
into uric acid. We are in the process of testing a few different
varieties of inhibitors, mainly coumarins and chalcones. We
carry out our experiments using enzyme activity assays,
computational docking, and more recently, isothermal titration
calorimetry."

Spectrophotometric Assays

Molecular Modeling/Docking

We use a spectrophotometer to run activity assays in a 96-well UV plate. To start, we add
an equal amount of xanthine substrate (consisting of pure Milli-Q water and 98% pure
xanthine) to all the wells, following up with varying amount of potassium phosphate
buffer, depending on the desired final concentration of the inhibitor. Third, we add the
inhibitor of choice and allow for 30 minutes of incubation at room temperature. After the
incubation period, we add in the enzyme xanthine oxidase (from bovine milk) and
measure the absorbance at 295 nm for 5 minutes with a spectrophotometer . We then
determine the enzyme rates from the spectroscopic data and graph the activity values
versus the concentration of the inhibitor (SigmaPlot). When graphed on a semi-logarithmic
scale, we typically obtain graphs similar to the ones below. From graphing, we also receive
an IC50 value, which is a number that tells us how potent an inhibitor is. For these assays,
we hope to have lower IC50 values, in the single digits or the teens (measured in uM).

Using the program Sybyl, we are able to model the active inhibitors and
then dock them into the enzyme xanthine oxidase using the docking
program Gold. We used the PDB ID 3NVY as the 3D model for xanthine
oxidase for docking and ChemScore for the scoring function.

From our previous research, along with the research that we’ve completed over
the summer, we are seeing a pattern of graphs with smooth curves and low
IC50 values from the inhibitors that have a hydroxyl group (or multiple hydroxyl
groups) off the benzene ring, like in the structures above. These inhibitors
produced an average IC50 value generally less than 10 uM. Generally speaking,
the compounds that we tested that did not have the hydroxyl group gave us
high IC50 values and flat graphs.

{

Investigation of the Impact of Nutrient Availability
on Genome Stability in S. cerevisiae

}

(D) Figure 4-B 4-Methylesculatin, Lin
Tsai and Coworkers

1e-3

[Inhibitor/M]

[Inhibitor/M]
conc vs activity
x column 1 vs y column 1

The graphs above show the activity vs. concentration graphs for the inhibitor
caffeic Acid phenethyl Ester (3 repeats). The red circles on the graph represent
where the IC50 fall on the graphs. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester has an average
IC50 of 5.20 mM, which is ideal for our research. Poor Inhibitors, such as most
of the compounds tested that were in the “chalcones” category, will give us
IC50’s at a much higher value, meaning it takes a lot of the inhibitor to inhibit
the enzyme, if it inhibits at all.

Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester

(C) Docking of 4-Methylesculatin,
Paula Research Group

The photos to the right (photos A and
C) are the diagrams that we modeled
in Sybyl and docked into Xanthine
Oxidase with Gold. The photos on the
left (photos B and D) are figures in
literature by Lin Tsai and coworkers.
The purpose is to show how the
inhibitor interacts with the protein,
and the side-by-side comparison
shows that our docking technique
works and is reproducible. From
docking, we also get a consensus
value, which also tells us how
reproducible our results are. The
consensus value is a number between
1 and 30, telling us how many times,
out of 30 trials, we generated the
same inhibitor position.

5

5

1e-9

conc vs activity
x column vs y column

15

10

10

5

0
1e-10

N

uric acid

(B) Figure 4-D 7-Hydroxy-4Methylesculatin, Lin Tsai and
Coworkers

30

30

25

20

10

N
O

O

(A) Docking of 7-Hydroxy-4Methylesculatin in Gold, Paula
Research Group

Caffetic Acid Phenethyl Ester_3_TK
15.June.2012

Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ether_2_TK
15.June.2012

IC50: 4.9

30

Activity

Inhibitors of the enzyme xanthine oxidase (XO) are of medicinal value for the
treatment of gout and the prevention of certain injuries after heart attacks
and strokes. Coumarins are natural compounds that have shown promise
as a new class of XO inhibitors. Chemistry students Taylor Kidd, Rachel
Medlock, and Rebekkah Meeks—along with their advisors, Dr. Stefan Paula,
Dr. Lili Ma, and postdoctoral associate Dr. Manori Jayasinghe—worked on
a project to test the efficacy of certain XO inhibitors, including coumarins.
They employed a variety of techniques, including enzyme activity assays,
computational docking, and isothermal titration calorimetry. They found
that inhibitors with at least one hydroxyl group off the benzene ring were
the most effective inhibitors. Their computational docking exercises used
the programs Sybyl and Gold to model these inhibitors and “dock” them
into XO to demonstrate how the inhibition works.

DR. stefan paula

Activity

}

Activity

Microcalorimetric Characterization of Inhibitor
Binding by the Enzyme Xanthine Oxidase

R E P OR T

{

Future Plans

• Obtain more new inhibitors with hydroxyl groups from
the Dr. Ma research group and test them with the activity
assay
• Use the docking program Gold to dock new inhibitors
from the Dr. Ma Research Group

In many cancers the initiating event is an abnormality in DNA content (the
instruction manual for the cell). Dr. Erin Strome of the Biological Sciences
Department worked with three students—Brandy Ashcraft, John Crum, and
Justin Gibson—to investigate genomic instability that might contribute
to the development of cancerous cells. The team studied Saccharomyces
cerevisiae (budding yeast) genes that may be homologous to human genes
to help understand the etiology of cancer. They examined mutations in
many genes and found that several of them resulted in significant increases
in genomic instability, meaning chromosome fragment or even whole
chromosome loss. Students explored the ramifications of this chromosomal
instability, potentially including the loss of key proteins involved in cell
functions. The group plans to continue their research to better understand
the connections between this genome instability and cancer.

24

R E P OR T
A N N U A L
C IN S A M

Next Generation

Stem classroom
C

INSAM’s Next Generation STEM Classroom
(ngSC) project was piloted in Boone and Kenton
Counties during the 2012-2013 school year.
The Next Generation STEM Classroom provides
professional development for P-12 teachers within the
classroom.
The Next Generation STEM Classroom is comprised of
two segments: the Fishbowl and the RECAP. First, the
Outreach Director/Specialist models best practices
by teaching a STEM lesson to a class of students with
teachers from multiple grade levels observing around
the room; this is called the “Fishbowl”. After the class
is over, the teachers and CINSAM staff go to another
room for the second segment, the “RECAP”, to break
down the lesson for best practices in STEM teaching
and to look for ways to apply it to their own teaching.
“RECAP” stands for “Reflection and Exploration of
Content, Alignment, and Pedagogy”.
The teachers and curriculum specialists attending
were then responsible for taking the lessons back
to their schools to share with their students and the
teachers that did not get to attend. This two-tiered
professional learning community model—where
directly participating teachers and administrators
help train other teachers in a teacher lead model—is
further supported by CINSAM online.
CINSAM films the professional development sessions
and then makes the videos available online to
participants through BlackBoard. Other resources,
such as tri-boards and Power-Points are also made
available on Blackboard.

Reflection: Teachers reflect back on the fishbowl experience,
identifying best practices in STEM education.
Exploration: Teachers explore additional resources and ways
to bring best practices into their own teaching practice.
Content: Teachers work with content, increasing their
knowledge and clearing up misconceptions.
Alignment: Teachers across disciplines and at varying grade
levels extend the topic of the fishbowl into their classes.
Pedagogy: The art of teaching – the engagement &
motivation of students, classroom management, the way
teachers deliver the information.

The Sustainability Project
In order to build teachers’ capacity to teach lessons
and strategies shared by CINSAM Outreach Specialists,
CINSAM launched the Sustainability Project in 2011.
In this project, teachers observed an Outreach
Specialist for one period, and then were responsible
for teaching the same lesson to the rest of their classes.
Ms. Hart and Ms. Bowles have continued this project
in Southern Counties’ middle schools over the 20122013 year.

R E P OR T

CINSAM started the Southern Counties Outreach
Project in 2003 as way to build relationships between
NKU and the southern Counties of our service area.

A N N U A L

2003

The Southern Counties Outreach Project

never

1/3 of
lessons

1/2 of
lessons

2/3 of
lessons

every
lesson

Make connections to
meaningful past experiences

make cross curricular
connections to ela

make cross curricular
connections to mathematics

require students to use critical
and/or creative thinking

engage students in complex,
inquiry-based instruction

use formative assessment
to inform instruction

2012-2013

The Next Generation STEM Classroom Pilot Year

use active learning
strategies

From the Sustainability Project, CINSAM learned
that teachers needed time for reflection and the
exploration of pedagogy and content. The Outreach
Specialists needed to explain WHY they were doing
what they were doing.
So in 2012, Reeda Hart piloted the Next Generation
STEM Classroom model at Boone and Kenton County
Schools. This model contains the Fishbowl, RECAP, and
Share-Out.
The Next Generation STEM Classroom reached 8
districts of northern Kentucky this year, including:
Augusta, Boone, Bracken, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton,
Pendleton, and Williamstown.

how did

your involvement in this cinsam pd project

help your students...

no effect

very little

a little

somewhat

a lot

improved student
behavior

improved student
interest

lOOKING AHEAD

improved student
engagement

The Toyota USA Foundation announced a gift of
$560,000 to the Next Generation STEM Classroom,
which will expand the program in 2013-2014 to an
additional 9 districts in Northern Kentucky.

engineering camp
Dr. Morteza Sadat-Hosseiny and Mr. Bill Schneider
introduced high school students to the ideas and
practices of engineering and engineering technology.
Students “learned by doing”, designing with AutoCAD
and solving collision-related problems (among other
things) with the guidance of NKU faculty in physics and
pre-engineering.
They undertook projects to build towers out of paper
that maximized tower weight-bearing capacity, while
minimizing costs and time; teams were on a budget and
were required to “purchase” their own materials (from
camp leaders) and keep their own books as an exercise
in project management.
Campers also took field trips to two local engineering
firms, where they took tours of the facilities, talked to
practicing engineers about their work, and constructed
their own projects using the firms’ materials, data, and
directives.

JAVA COMPUTER GAMES PROGRAMMING CAMP
Dr. Richard Fox’s Java Computer Game Programming Camp offered high school students a chance
to explore the exciting world of computer game
programming in the high-tech Griffin Hall Media
Lab. He and Dr. Gary Newell worked with NKU undergraduates to develop this exciting camp and
guide students through projects like designing and
coding computer games.
As a result, campers created sophisticated games
ranging from Who Wants to be a Millionaire to
TRON Motorcycle games to Wheel of Fortune. In
completing their TRON motorcycle project, one
group wrote over 600 lines of code! A couple of the
groups came up with ideas for their own games by
themselves.
The camp was such a success this year, enrollment
was full by the end of May.

aeronautics camp
math & Statistics camp
Dr. Brooke Buckley and Dr. Bethany Noblitt
organized the Math and Statistics Camp with
CINSAM and the PRIME grant program. Students
in middle school and younger were able to work
with select NKU scholarship winners as their camp
counselors who will specialize in teaching math
and math-related subject matter to high-need
secondary schools upon graduation.

Students take flight in Mr. Bill Schneider’s Aeronautics camp.
These young men and women (grades 6-10) learn about
the math and science behind flight and navigation. Then
they apply this knowledge and learn how to fly! Students
reproduce real flight conditions using flight simulator
software.
Schneider says, “It’s fairly intense, but the kids really feel like
they’ve accomplished something when they’re able to take
off, fly, and land.”
Most students also participate in an optional field trip to
tour Lunken Airport’s facilities on a fourth day. By the end of
the camp, students are well positioned for starting ground
school, then flight school, and earning their pilot’s licenses!

The counselors planned exciting activities for the
students to teach them a variety of advanced math
skills including crime solving with ellipses, bungee
jumping dolls, and the construction of large scaled
movie props!

...

Journalism in the digital age workshop
CINSAM teams up with an Informatics camp

Extra, extra! Read all about Aeronautics Camp!
tudents taking part in a journalism
summer camp with the College
of Informatics visited CINSAM’s
Aeronautics Camp to practice taking
photos and doing interviews. The
students filmed their interviews with
Mr. Bill Schneider, the camp director,
edited them into news stories, and
posted them on their camp website.

astronomy camp
This year, students in grades 6-8 attended Astronomy
Camp with NKU professors Mr. Dan Spence, Dr. Charles
Hawkins, and Dr. Wayne Bresser.
Two weeks of camp were offered for the first time this
year, the second camp being an advanced week. Students
who had attended Astronomy Camp in the past were
invited to take the more in-depth version.

middle school stem camp
Dr. Bethany Bowling aimed to get middle school
students excited about science and encourage them
to build a foundation necessary for academic and
professional pursuits in the sciences.
Her half-day week-long camp had 6th through 8th
graders busy learning about topics ranging from
ecology to physics to nutrition through a variety of
hands-on laboratory and field activities—all under the
expert guidance of several NKU STEM faculty.
Students experienced creating liquid nitrogen balloons,
studied DNA fingerprinting, enjoyed making monkeys
into humans using the computer science facilities at
NKU, and were able to take a field trip.
Mr. Tim Schneider, secondary science coach at Campbell
County Middle School, and Ms. Pat Brownfield, science
teacher at Phillip Sharp Middle School, helped Dr.
Bowling run the camp.

29

Students learned to navigate their way through the solar
system in the NKU Planetarium using their own bodies.
Through the use of the Microsoft Kinect video game
system that utilizes body motion to achieve screen activity,
students were able to virtually fly through space! During
their journey they learned about the rings of Saturn,
constellations, dwarf planets, and the international space
station!
Students also viewed the skies with a high-powered
telescope and engaged in a variety of hands-on activities.

C IN S A M
A N N U A L
R E P OR T

r my daug hter
“It’s valuable fo
rsue her
to be able to pu
a
EM subj ects in
intere sts in ST
ts that share
g ro up of stu den
s.”
similar intere st

our river, our future Camp
Fun with science camp
Dr. Miriam Kannan ran an exciting camp geared
specifically toward English Language Learners (ELL).
This camp, co-sponsored by the English Language
Learning Foundation, exposed students to a
variety of fun activities in science, ranging from a
microscopic Microbe Safari to the explosive Magic
of Chemistry. Students collected and studied water
samples, made necklaces containing their DNA,
and watched a show in the NKU Planetarium.
Students also ventured out on exciting field trips
to learn about laboratory research at Proctor &
Gamble, regional zoology at Grassy Creek, and the
Ohio River system on a Queen City Riverboat ride.

Middle school and high school students from northern
Kentucky spent two days exploring the Ohio River and
learning about environmental careers in the field of water
quality protection as part of the “Our River, Our Future”
camp, hosted by Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and
the Foundation for Ohio River Education (FORE).
During the camp, students analyzed water samples,
electrofished on the Ohio River with aquatic biologists
from the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
(ORSANCO), and toured Greater Cincinnati Waterworks’
Richard Miller Treatment Plant.
The 18 students who participated were enrolled in the YMCA
Black and Latino Achievers, a program that engages teens
in hands-on learning emphasizing college readiness, career
exploration and leadership development. The camp was
funded by CINSAM and the NKU Community Partnerships
Program.

Students and their parents were invited to an
exciting closing ceremony this year where Dr.
Kannan, counselors and special guests were
present to acknowledge the students efforts of the
past week and counselors gave unique awards to
each participant.

30

R E P OR T
A N N U A L
C IN S A M

mathcounts
CINSAM partnered with the Department of Mathematics
and Statistics to coordinate a regional competition
for MATHCOUNTS, an annual national competition in
mathematics for students in grades 6-8. Held on Saturday,
February 16, 2013, and sponsored by the Kentucky
Society of Professional Engineers, there were team and
individual competitions for students to compete in. Along
with assisting in coordination of this competition CINSAM
provided backpacks of gifts for the competitors including
the individual winner, Amanda Zahn, from Boone County’s
Gayle H. Grey Middle School. Amanda’s school went on to
win first place in the team competition as well.

first lego league
On Saturday, December 1, 2012, over 500 students,
families, coaches and volunteers participated in the
Northern Kentucky Regional FIRST® LEGO League Robotics
Tournament and Jr. FIRST® LEGO League Engineering Expo.
CINSAM continued its support of the event by assisting
with the planning and execution of the day’s activities.
FIRST® Robotics programs provide hands-on learning
experience in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
Math) in addition to stressing 21st century skills that focus
on communication, collaboration, problem solving and
innovative thinking.
Teams designed, built, and programmed LEGO NXT robots
to complete up to 25 missions on a predesigned Robot
Performance field. At the tournament, the teams were
judged in the areas of teamwork, research presentation,
and robot design/programming in the Student Union and
Griffin Hall, and they competed with their robots against
each other during Robot Performance Rounds in Regents
Hall. Multiple teams won trophies in different competition
areas, and ten teams progressed to the state competition.

31

C IN S A M
A N N U A L

Hearts and Minds is a science, math, and leadership
program for black male students in the 4th-6th grades
throughout the Greater Cincinnati Area. Kevin Robinson,
chief meteorologist from WLWT News 5, is the leader of
the mentorship program.

R E P OR T

Hearts and Minds

On February 16, 2013, Hearts and Minds visited NKU for
a day of STEM activities with their parents. The students
did a variety of hands-on activities. Their parents met
with CINSAM’s Mr. Thomas Brackman to talk about STEM
and STEM careers. The students also got a chance to
experience the high-tech learning environment of Griffin
Hall’s Digitorium.

GEAR UP Career discovery day
CINSAM partnered with GEAR UP Kentucky to host GEAR
UP Career Discovery Day on March 23, 2013. GEAR UP
Kentucky provides services for students beginning in 7th
grade in 29 middle schools and their corresponding high
schools.
At NKU’s GEAR UP Career Discovery Day, approximately
200 7th graders from Trimble County, Newport, and
Covington School Districts participated in hands-on
activities in math and science. NKU faculty and CINSAM
staff led lessons in chemistry, neurotoxicology, evolution,
geology, nanotechnology, engineering, mathematics,
physics, and climate change. The students were immersed
in activities such as building pop bottle cars and studying
brains.
A special treat at lunch was an interactive performance by
the NKU Improv Troupe, a group of NKU students from
the Department of Theatre and Dance.

32

R E P OR T
C IN S A M

A N N U A L

SEFNK
T

he Science and Engineering Fair of Northern
Kentucky (SEFNK) held its 18th annual regional
fair this year on February 23, 2013 at Northern
Kentucky University’s Student Union.
CINSAM continued its sponsorship of the event for
the thirteenth year, and 8 members of CINSAM staff
participated as judges and other SEFNK personnel.
Beth Russell, CINSAM’s Program Manager, replaced
Charles Bowen this year as the Executive Director in
charge of the fair.
Two hundred students from 39 schools of northern
and northeastern Kentucky competed. The grand
prize winner of this year’s event, Monica McFadden of
Notre Dame Academy, was awarded a trip to the INTEL
International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in
Phoenix, Arizona in May. At ISEF, she and her project,
Further Studies in Biofilm Removal of Contaminants,
competed with science fair winners from across the
world.
Students who participated in SEFNK had the
opportunity to explore their scientific interests, gain
confidence about their abilities to gather, analyze, and
present information, and better understand the many
ways science affects their lives. CINSAM is proud to
continue its support of the organization’s annual
event.

Winners of the CINSAM Award

Elementary

M o n ic a M c F a d

den

2013 Best in Fair
Notre Dame Academy

A J Stewart, Mar y Queen of Heaven

Middle
Erin Beighle, Verona Middle School

High
Hannah Rodgers, Walton Verona High School

33

C IN S A M

days

R E P OR T

science

A N N U A L

elementary

F

our hundred 4th grade students from Northern
Kentucky engaged in a variety of hands-on
activities on campus this year during CINSAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Elementary Science Days. The first event, on
November 19, welcomed students from Saint Therese
School in Campbell County, North Point Elementary in
Boone County, and Saint Joseph Elementary School in
Kenton County. The second Elementary Science Day
was held on April 19, when students from Erpenbeck
Elementary School and Ockerman Elementary School
in Boone County took part.

pre-service teachers
faculty sessions
The students and their teachers broke into groups,
rotating through sessions held in the science labs at
NKUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Natural Science Center. Sessions were taught by
NKU faculty members and CINSAM staff. Students met
a variety of animals, built bridges, watched chemical
reactions with dry ice, made models of coral, and
much more. Topics included chemistry, engineering,
biology, physics, astronomy, and environmental
science.

Students also rotated through small interactive
demonstrations designed and run by pre-service
teachers under the guidance of their instructor, Dr. Steve
Kerlin. These groups rotated throughout the Digitorium
at Griffin Hall.

34

R E P OR T
A N N U A L
C IN S A M

integrative natural

SCIENCE

course

C

CINSAM’s Integrative Natural Science (SCI 110) and
Honors Integrative Natural Sciences (SCI 110H) courses
are designed to introduce and engage students from
all majors, especially education majors, in the discovery of
the natural world. Students explore fundamentals of biology,
chemistry, physics, earth sciences, and mathematics in a
“hands-on” and “minds-on” studio style classroom, where
students learn through active inquiry as professors circulate.
By the end of the course, the students teach themselves! In
the 2012-2013 academic year, 180 students enrolled in 10
sections of SCI 110 and 32 in SCI 110H. These students ranged
in field from Finance and Organizational Leadership majors to
Elementary and Early Childhood Education majors.
This course is a shining example of NKU’s emphasis on learnerfocus. Rather than employing the traditional lecture model, in
which students sit at desks and watch the professor, SCI 110
and SCI 110H students sit at laboratory benches and learn how
to learn, by participating in authentic exploration of natural
phenomena with their classmates. This environment not only
fostered greater interest in and ownership of the students’
learning, but also trained pre-service teachers in creating the
sort of learning environment for their own future students that
is favored by an increasingly robust body of research.

S T UDEN T L E A R NING TA RGE T S

1 2
3 4
5

Learn how scientific,
investigative, and
discovery activity is
conducted and engage
in designing and
conducting experiments.

Have an increased
awareness of current
scientific issues and
the importance of
scientific literacy to
understanding and
resolving issues.

Understand major
scientific ideas –
many of which they
will experimentally
discover.

Learn how scientific
discovery crosses
disciplinary borders.

Use mathematics
and mathematical
relationships to
analyze data and
solve problems using
their data and/or
other information.

In order to expand the impact of this course on pre-service
teachers, the Department of Teacher Education made
Integrative Natural Science a requirement for Elementary
Education majors in 2012.

Integrative Natural Science in the “Real World”

As students in SCI 110 and SCI 110H learn about the integrated nature of science and mathematics through authentic,
hands-on activities, they naturally make connections to their “real world” experiences…

Meteorites in Russia, Meteorites in Kentucky

O

n February 15, 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteor exploded
in the Russian sky. As it happened, students in one of
Bill Schneider’s SCI 110 sections were also thinking
about meteors. They had been studying a rock found by
the students of Walton Verona Elementary School in a Piner
park to determine whether it was a meteorite. This team of
students conducted a variety of physical and chemical tests
on the rock in pursuit of an answer.

35

In light of the meteor in Russia, their quest garnered some
attention from local media; both nky.com/Cincinnati.com
and Local 12 News covered the story and gave it a wide
audience. Moreover, towards the end of the semester, this
team of students took their findings to one very important
audience: the fourth-grade students of Walton Verona
Elementary School. They concluded that the rock was likely
not a meteorite, but they really learned a lot from the journey
that got them their answer!

The Science of Firefighting

O

ne SCI 110 student - a part time fire-fighter - was
keenly engaged in class, often asking and answering
questions and helping his fellow students. For his
final project he showed up with his fire-fighter’s suit and
equipment. He very carefully described the creation of a fire,
and how chemistry and physics can impact the intensity and
danger of a fire, relating his explanation to Newton’s Laws.
He also explained why Nomex material works as a fire
retardant and how his boots and helmet further protect him
from fire. In doing so, he demonstrated his understanding of
the science behind the protection offered by his equipment
as he faces the dangers of a fire.

C IN S A M

Her students also improved their understanding of…
• The nature of science (by designing and conducting
their own experiments with yeast),
• The role of writing and other communications
(through various exercises, including a persuasive
essay on DNA barcoding), and
• The importance of mathematics in STEM (by working
through engineering problems and creating simple
mathematical models).

Students concluded the semester by revising their
resumes and cover letters to “apply” for a job they’d
want and “interviewed” for that job.

$$

R E P OR T

Sci-101

In the Spring of 2013, CINSAM’s Dr. Madhura Kulkarni
took over one section of SCI 101, Introduction
to STEM Careers. She believes that an emphasis
on raising awareness of skills required for STEM
careers is just as important as raising awareness of
the careers themselves. So she changed the course
title to Introduction to STEM Careers and Skills. In
order to build this awareness, she brought in guest
speakers from a variety of STEM sectors, including
engineering (Dr. Dale Elifrits of NKU’s Engineering
Technology program), health care (Mr. Greg Schooler,
COO of Cincinnati GI), STEM entrepreneurship (Mr. Jeff
Varrone of NKU’s Entrepreneurship Institute and Mr.
Jaydev Karande of Wearcast).

A N N U A L

Introduction to STEM Careers and Skills

CINSAM SCholarships
CINSAM awards scholarships to students of
outstanding academic merit and ambitions in the
STEM fields. CINSAM and faculty from cooperating
departments select students based on overall academic
performance, strong showing in mathematics and
the sciences, and plans to continue in those fields.
Scholarships help pay for tuition and books for these
excellent students.

Scholarship winners came from all three CINSAM
colleges with majors inluding:

During the 2012-2013 year, CINSAM awarded new
scholarships to 14 incoming freshman and renewed
the scholarships of 19 students.

• Biological Sciences

• Chemistry

• Mathematics

• Physics

• Middle Grades Education

• Computer Science

36

R E P OR T
C IN S A M

A N N U A L

Soar

Emily
Esham

spot lig ht

Emily Esham is a SOAR scholar and
a biology major at NKU. Emily was
accepted into the SOAR program in 2010
and has participated a wide variety of
activities. In addition to going to Red’s
games, Kings Island trips, and picnics,
Emily has had the opportunity to assist
with inter views for new SOAR scholars
and help run open houses. She assisted
in hosting the graduation celebration
this year for the SOAR 2009 scholars.

Project SOAR: Scholarships, Opportunities, Achievements & Results
seeks to recruit, retain, educate, and graduate financially needy, academically talented students – SOAR Scholars – who will enter the
workforce or graduate school in a STEM field. We currently have
49 SOAR Scholars on campus, with 21 arriving in fall 2013. Achievements include:

Increased number of under-represented SOAR Scholars each
year (7, 10, 11, 14 Scholars per year, respectively), with an increase in the diversity of our cohorts over the last 2 years to
include students of African American, Hispanic, and native Hawaiian Islander descent.

3

Significant participation of at least 25% of each cohort living in
the STEM living community each year, with additional students
living in other residence halls (some because of their involvement in athletics or other living communities).

4

Increased SOAR Scholar (45%) participation in summer research when compared to other STEM students (<20%) following their freshman year.

5

More frequent and improved performance reviews (i.e., every
4 weeks instead of once a semester) so students have time to
implement any changes needed to improve success in their
classes.

6

4-year graduation rate for SOAR 2009 is 53%; compared to
12% of their peers.

Throughout
her
undergraduate
experience, Emily has worked in the
research lab for biology professor Dr.
Kristi Haik and traveled with her to
present their findings at a neuroscience
convention in New Orleans, LA. She
was awarded the Dorothy Westermann
Hermann Summer Fellowship in 2011 to
fund her research.
Emily has also worked as an office
assistant to CINSAM since 2012, giving
her the opportunity to assist with a
variety of events with K-12 students,
STEM majors at NKU, and faculty.
“I have been involved with many
projects that I can use on my resume as
well as experience that will benefit me
when job searching,” said Esham. “I have
been able to travel to places I would not
have been able to without NKU faculty,
and I would not have met these people
and developed such great relationships
without SOAR.”
“SOAR has introduced me to so many
wonderful faculty and mentors as well
as fellow students who have become my
best friends.”

The
First Graduates
The 2009 SOAR cohorts don caps and gowns
Congratulations!

I

n May 2013, the first group of
SOAR scholars graduated from
Northern Kentucky University
with their undergraduate degrees
in a variety of STEM disciplines.
These students were the first to be
accepted into the SOAR scholarship
program when it was formed in
2009.

37

Ryan Durbin has been involved with STEM
since the fall of 2011 as an ambassador
in the department of computer science.
He has worked with faculty and other
ambassadors to plan a social event
to build the STEM community. Ryan
participated in monthly leadership
development workshops led by Dr.
Alison Antes.
In the spring of 2012, he had the
opportunity to work with Dr. Antes
to develop and analyze a sur vey for
students involved in the STEM peer-led
undergraduate study sessions (STEM
PLUS Sessions). In the summer of 2012,
he took the sole initiative of organizing
and redesigning the STEM website.
Ryan currently leads weekly peer-led
undergraduate study sessions to assist
students in target computer science
courses.
“I have developed some great experience
in becoming a leader and working
as part of a team that will benefit me
beyond college immensely,” explained
Durbin. “These skills and experiences
are so valuable for me as I move into the
real-world because many students and
young professionals will not have had
the same opportunities that STEM has
provided me. “
“The most beneficial aspect of working
on the STEM project for me personally
has been the great friendships I have
made with the great faculty and student
leaders we have on the project. We work
together as a group of highly driven
students and the power we have to
impact students’ success is remarkable.”

R E P OR T

spot lig ht

A N N U A L

RYAN
DURBIN

C IN S A M

FORCE
Project FORCE (Focus on Occupations, Recruiting, Community, and Engagement)
is a National Science Foundation - STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP)
project that works to build a coordinated effort across the STEM departments
at NKU: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics &
Statistics, and Physics & Geology. The project has two goals: (1) increase the
retention rate of first time freshmen STEM majors from under 30% to at least
60%, and (2) increase the number of undergraduates (freshmen and transfer
students) who complete a bachelor’s degree in STEM by 50%.
Goal #2 has already been met with 237 graduates in the STEM disciplines in the
2011-2012 academic year. In addition, while overall undergraduate enrollment
at NKU has remained around 12,000 over the last several years, enrollment in
the STEM disciplines has increased from 12.0% in 2009 to 13.7% in 2012. The
FORCE project has taken major steps to improve recruitment and retention of
STEM students and achievements include:

1

Established an “NKU STEM” table with faculty and undergraduate
representatives at 14 on-campus and 3 external recruiting events;

2

Developed a system for identifying and contacting students
interested in STEM majors;

3

Host an annual STEM Showcase recruiting event and high school
STEM Day with over 200 students and their parents participating
over the last three years;

4

Created a plan that identifies students who switch to a different
major, and notifies department chairs who will follow up with
student;

5

Implemented new STEM careers seminar;

6

Strengthened the STEM community at NKU through a variety of
academic and social events, as well as through social networking.
Successes include annual summer research presentations, graduate
school informational sessions, monthly STEM pizza suppers, and
additional social events for STEM students;